A soft spot for curling

Orillia Today

So there I am sitting at my usual Saturday afternoon gathering spot by the shores of Lake Couchiching, when one of my lunch buddies asked me the following question.
“Got anything on the go this evening, Mike?” he asked.
Nodding in the affirmative, I indicated I was heading to Casino Rama to cover the TSN Skins Curling Skins Game.
Still mentally digesting the information, my two lunch partners looked at me and tried very hard to stifle their grins and laughter.
Funny, I don’t recall being so giggle-happy when they launched into a marathon about English Premiership soccer, something I know little about and often think is almost as slow as curling.
But I guess it depends on what is your cup of tea.
Two years of high school curling ended abruptly when I knocked myself senseless, whacking my head on the ice at the old Champlain Curling Club on West Street North (where 2nd Century Sports now stands).
When I was working later with Orillia’s daily newspaper, I would do the odd curling assignment, once venturing to Gravenhurst to watch a zone championship match involving famed skips Russ Howard and Ed Werenich. That was mostly a photo assignment, but it gave me a chance to learn something about the aspects of the game.
After that there was a lengthy layoff until 2003 when a job switch landed me in Midland, covering the exploits of elite curlers Glenn Howard and Wayne Middaugh.
It was simple coverage in the beginning, where I would mainly watch and photograph a few games, while getting to know the two curlers and their teams.
As the game viewing expanded, so did my interest, and, I hope knowledge of the game.
As Glenn, Wayne, Wayne’s wife Sherry and I got to know each other, I began to feel more comfortable talking to them, throwing out a few questions about curling strategy from time to time.
Then when Glenn and his team qualified for the 2007 Brier in Hamilton, my editor thought it might be worthwhile to have me cover it.
As writers often discover during assignments, a wave of words washed over me and I ended up writing seven stories and two columns, while also shooting countless photos in Hamilton.
To this day I have no idea how I pulled it off.
Weeks later, the invitation went out for me to head to Edmonton to cover Howard and his team at the world finals.
More panic-stricken sweating, and yet the words poured forth.
And from that day on the interest expanded.
Through it all, the Howard and Middaugh clans have been so understanding, realizing that filling up my knowledge locker, as it relates to curling has been a gradual process.
Even today, I still sometimes cringe when I ask a question, not sure if I’m explaining myself well enough.
But they smile, offer a reassuring voice or shoulder tap and provide the answer.
As veteran TSN curling announcer Vic Rauter has noted several times in conversations, there are very few egos in curling, simply down-to-earth men and women who enjoy playing the game and getting a chance to interact with fans.
Glenn, Wayne and Sherry have given of themselves to many charitable causes within the Georgian Bay communities, while also enjoying the rewards that come from being at an elite level.
Wayne and Sherry have passed their love of curling onto their daughters Kelly and Emily, and Kelly has already made her mark in competitive curling in the bantam division.
Judy and Glenn Howard have also passed their love for the game onto their children Scott and Carly, who have been experiencing success at the provincial level.
And all the siblings have done so, carving their own piece of success in the curling world, not pressured to live up to the success of their surnames.
But the greatest gift they have provided is simply taking the game to the masses and providing a sense of connection with amateur curlers.
Not long ago, an elderly lady said her one major birthday wish was to have Glenn Howard give her a one-on-one, on-ice curling lesson.
Given his humble nature, Howard was thrilled the lady would make the request and gladly granted her wish.
To witness this time and time again erases the memory of major league baseball and professional hockey players looking at me sideways when I asked a question.
It’s not just curling, but the people you meet in the game that makes it special.
It might be the same in Premiership Soccer, but I’ll never know.
Granted, curlers may be slow in their approach to the game.
But it’s refreshing to know they check their egos at the front door.